Chris Collinson has an interesting post on the use and abuse of the concept of lessons Learned. Based on Kolb’s learning cycle, he posits the “ignorance spiral” where the abstract conceptualisation stage stys ust that, abstracted” with no discernable imact on future behaviours. The same mistakes and errors are made, the lessons aren’t learned.
Now it seems to me that the key to closing the Kold circle is the importance of the organisational environment. The type of organisational sitation is critical as Lynda Gratton’s new (ish) book Hot Spots describe. In organisational “hot spots” managerial behaviours, organisational processes and organisational culture can all come together in an intense learning system (what I see as she means as a hot spot).
Now I’ve had the privelege of working in a hot spot maybe twice so far and the difference in the learning I experienced personally and observed in other individual, teams and for the organsiation as a whole was phenomenal. Everyone learned so much and seemed to really value the experience – like the difference when you were at school between the majority of teachers & lessons versus the one or two truly inspiratonal teachers. So may be what Kolb’s cycle needs is more work on environment and context to assist in closing the loop and avoiding ignorance
Looking at Kolb’s model, it looks surprising like an application of Myer’s Briggs to the learning process.
I think you may find that a lot of the people who create education or training tends to be more of one style and the students are more mixed. Thus the cognitive disonance.
Usually, the audience for more teachers is more focused on things that are more practical and concrete and less theoritical.
Good point Steve – there is also the issue of application in the workplace where additional cognitive (and pragmatic) disonance occurs which is where situated learning approaches, in my experience, are particularly powerful.
hello i need a game about learning cycle theory cuz am taking a course in traning can o get help ?
Hi Ghoufran
What is the purpose of the game? I’ve used a couple but to be honest, a Kolb type learning cycle is not a particularly difficult concept to grasp in theory or application. Let me know what its for a I’ll see if I can dig something out
thanks
pete